Family burdens tax the talents of a
mother Traill's flycatcher. Instinctively
she tries to cover everyone with her feathers,
but her half-grown chicks stick out on
every side. Her oldest and largest, who just
got a handout, nods off to sleep, but three
others keep mouths wide, chirping constantly.
The family nests in Ithaca, New York,
where Mr. Truslow used to spend a month
each summer with Cornell's Dr. Arthur
A. Allen, of whom Mr. Truslow writes,
"Through his unique skill and experience,
he taught me more about bird behavior
than any other man."
Passerinaciris, length 5-5'/2 inches
KODACHROME
(C) N.G .S.
Bounty of beauty distinguishes
the male painted bunting, one of the most
colorful birds in the United States; another
name is nonpareil-Frenchfor "without
equal." This bird appeared on a window
feeder at Mr. Truslow's Florida home.
"Every wild creature has a scare point,"
he says, "reached by repeated actions that
he considers disturbing. At the first sign
of nervousness in a subject, I always stop
and try again later. But next time I am even
more careful, for the bird hasn't forgotten
that other encounter. Once you arouse fear
in a wild creature, you may as well quit."
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